Suction cleaner for brooms, mops, and the like



D. V. N ELSON June 22, 1954 Filed Aug. 4, 1950 VIIIIIIIIIIII'IIIIIIIIA Inuen tor" David M helson Patented June 22, 1954 OFFICE SUCTION CLEANER FOR BROOMS, MOPS, AND THE LIKE David V. Nelson, Evanston, Ill. Application August 4, 1950, Serial No. 177,668

3 Claims. 1

The present invention relates in general to cleaning devices and has more particular reference to an improved dust extractor particularly adapted for cleaning mops, brooms and the like, by air suction.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a neat, compact air suction dust extractor, particularly adapted for the cleaning of mops and brooms by the brushing thereof across the top of the extractor; a further object being to provide a device of the character mentioned which is of attractive appearance and adapted for manufacture at low cost.

Another important object is to provide an air suction dust extractor comprising meansforming a hollow casing adapted for attachment to an air suction device such as a vacuum sweeper or other air pumping device, the top of the casing being formed with openings through which dirt may be drawn, as from a broom or mop when the same is brushed across the top of the casing, thereby extracting dust from the broom or mop and cleaning the same; a further object being to form the casing with an upstanding rib adjacent the dust receiving openings therein for aiding in dust removal from the mop or broom as the same is brushed across said rib; a further object being to form the dust receiving openings in the top of the casing on opposite sides of the rib; a still further object being to form depressed pockets in the casing on opposite sides of the rib and to locate the dust collecting openings at the bottom of the depressed pockets.

Yet another object is to form the dust extractor as a hollow casing of relatively narrow elongated configuration having a pair of adjacent generally parallel elongated cavities or depressions formed in the top of the casing, longitudinally thereof, the casnig being formed with an upstanding rib disposed between said adjacent cavities, openings being formed along the bottoms of the cavities communicating the same with the interior of the casing, whereby dust and dirt, dislodged from a broom or mop brushed transversely over the upstanding rib, may drop into said cavities and be drawn thence into the casing and discharged to a suction device connected with the casing.

Another important object is to form the dust receiving openings as elongated slots in the bottom of the cavities; a still further object being to form one of the cavities with spaced slots at the opposite ends thereof; another object being to form one of said cavities with a medial slot; yet another object being to arrange the openings in transversely staggered relation in the cavities.

Among other objects and advantages of the invention is to provide a device so formed and arranged that a mop or broom to be cleaned need be merely brushed sweepingly across the device in a transverse direction in order to accomplish the cleaning operation.

The foregoing and numerous other important objects, advantages and inherent functions of the invention will become apparent as the same is more fully understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a dust extractor embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is the top plan view of the device; and

Figs. 3 and l are sectional views, respectively, taken substantially along the lines 3-3 and 4-4 in Fig. 2.

To illustrate the invention, the drawings show a dust extractor I I comprising a hollow member l2 forming a generally rectangular elongated casing, the corners and edges of which are preferably rounded, as shown, to provide an attractive casing appearance. The casing is formed, preferably at one end, with a connection nozzle l3, by means of which the interior of the hollow member may be connected with a suction device such as a vacuum sweeper or other air pumping means. The bottom of the casing may be, and preferably is, formed with an embossment l4 forming a seat upon which a support bracket l5 may be secured to the casing as by means of fastening screws I6, to provide a pedestal for the support of the device. The top Wall of the hollow member is formed for engagement with the head of a broom or mop, in such fashion as to aid in the dislodgement of dirt and dust therefrom as the same is brushed across the top of the device transversely, in order that the removal of dirt from a broom or mop may be accomplished with utmost ease merely by brushing the broom or mop across the device, the dislodged dirt being instantly drawn into the hollow member through suitable openings formed in the top thereof.

To this end the top wall of the hollow member is formed to provide a pair of adjacent, upwardly opening elongated cavities or depressions ll, extending longitudinally of the casing, in side by side substantially parallel relationsip, said cavities preferably having rounded bottoms and ends, and being separated by an upstanding partition l8, the top of which preferably extends upwardly of the casing to provide a medial longitudinal rib on the casing between the cavities. The bottoms of the cavities i! are provided with openings 19 which connect the cavities with the interior of the hollow member 52. These openings are pref erabl formed medially in the cavity bottoms and preferably comprise elongated slots. It is prefer able also to arrange the opening or openings of one cavity in transversely staggered relationship with respect to the opening or openings of the other. In the preferred embodiment shown one cavity is formed with a pair of spaced slot-like openings 2 i, disposed at the opposite ends of the cavity, the other cavity being formed with a single, centrally located slot-like opening 22, which is preferably somewhat longer and wider than each of the spaced slots 2 i.

The staggered arrangement of the slots aids in extracting dust from a mop or broom when the same is brushed back and forth across the top of the extractor; and the relative size, shape and disposition of the cavity slots in the preferred embodiment serves to equalize the air flow through the slots and into the casing, in order that substantially equalized air flow may be caused through each of the separate cavities on opposite sides of the rib IS.

The hollow member 52, including the nozzle portion 53, may conveniently be formed as an integral casting of metal, or the shell may be formed as a metal casting in two or more portions such as an upper portion 23 and a lower portion 24 on opposite sides of a parting line 25. Such separately formed upper and lower portions, of course, may be secured together in any suitable or preferred fashion. It will be obvious, also, that the device may be formed of sheet metal, if desired, as by forming the upper and lower portions as separate stampings and then seaming or sealing the parts together in any convenient fashion. The pedestal bracket 55 may, and preferably does, comprise a strap of sheet metal suitably bent and formed to provide a mounting base for the device.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the device of the present invention provides an exceedingly simple and inexpensive yet visually attractive article of compact size and hence readily storable in any available space. The device, however, provides an exceedingly effective broom and mop cleaner. In this connection, it will be ap preciated that the cleaning efiect may be accomplished merely by sweeping the head of the article to be cleaned back and forth in a transverse direction across the upstanding rib it. This sweeping operation is entirely unimpeded, thereby providing for the cleaning of mops, brooms and the like, as a substantially effortless operation. When a mop or broom is thus brushed transversely across the top of the dust extractor the fibers or bristles of the device being cleaned, in striking the top of the partition it will dielodge and shake loose dust and dirt from such fibres or bristles, the so dislodged dirt falling directly and immediately into one or other of the cavities and being drawn thence into the hollow member for delivery through the nozzle i3 to the connected suction device.

It is thought that the invention and its numerous attendant advantages will be fully under stood from the foregoing description, and it is obvious that numerous changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, or sacrificing any of its attendant advantages, the form herein disclosed being a preferred embodiment for the purpose of illustrating the invention.

This invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A dirt extractor for mops, brooms and the like, comprising means forming a hollow casing adapted for connection with a suction device, said casing being of relatively narrow elongated configuration and having. a top wall formed to facilitate the brushing thereacross of an article to be cleaned, said top Wall being formed with a pair of elongated depressions in side by side substantially parallel relationship extending longitudinally of the casing, an upstanding rib disposed on said casing, between said depressions, in position extending medially and longitudinally thereof, the walls of said casing being formed with elongated longitudinally extending slots at the bottoms of said depressions, on opposite sides of said rib and communicating with the interior of the casing, there being a. pair of spaced apart longitudinally alined slots at the opposite ends of one depression and a single medially located slot in the bottom of the other depression.

2. A dirt extractor for mops, brooms and the like, comprising means forming a hollow casing adapted for connection with a suction device, said casing being of relatively narrow elongated configuration and having a top wall formed to facilitate the transverse brushing thereacross of an article to be cleaned, said top wall being formed with an upstanding rib disposed in position extending longitudinally and medially of the casing, said top Wall being also formed with a pair of spaced apart alined slots extending 1ongitudinally of the casing adjacent the opposite ends of said rib, on one side thereof, and a single slot extending longitudinally of the casing adjacent the medial portions of said rib, on the opposite side thereof, the area of said single slot being substantially greater than the area of either of said spaced apart slots.

3. A dirt extractor for mops, brooms, and the like, comprising an integral shell forming a hollow casing adapted for connection with a suction device, said casing being of relatively narrow elongated configuration and having a top wall formed to facilitate the brushing thereacross of an article to be cleaned, said top Wall being formed with an upstanding rib extending longitudinally and medially of the casing, said top wall being also formed with a pair of spaced apart alined slots extending longitudinally of the easing at the opposite ends of said rib, on one side thereof, and a single slot extending longitudinally of the casing at the medial portions of said rib, on the opposite side thereof, the area of said single slot being substantially greater than the area of either of said alined slots and said casing having an end wall formed with an integral sleeve for connecting the interior of the casing with a suction device, the central axis of said sleeve lying in the medial longitudinal plane of said casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,729,253 Gott Sept. 24, 1929 2,159,176 Nelson May 23, 1939 2,335,460 :Smellie Nov. 30, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 580,371 France Nov. 5, 1924 

